Halo:Renegades
by Sierra Nova
Summary: John 117 can handle a lot of things. Grief isn't one of them. Even after being reunited with Blue Team, the loss of Cortana has sent him reeling. Yet when he comes upon a rouge SPARTAN, between fighting off ONI and an new threat rising, he may find his luck hasn't run out just yet.
1. chapter 1

Prologue

June 12th, 2552, Procyon system, Gihon, Arcadia's moon.

In the four years following the end of the Human-Covenant war, Several of the Outer colonies had been repopulated and by UEG/UNSC forces as well as regular civilians, several of whom had been natives to the planets and had been forced to leave when the Covenant glassed the surface. While the results were hit and miss at times, for the most part, restoration efforts had been a success. Arcadia, however, was an exception. The planet had been glassed in 2549, and there was little reason for the UEG to consider terraforming. As such, the planet and the few people still living there were left mostly to their own devices, neglecting to build any bases there.

Of course, that wasn't to say that was the policy of all human organizations. The Office of Naval Intelligence had seen the usefulness of setting up remote bases well out of the reach of interference from the UNSC or the UEG, and had selected Arcadia as a prime candidate. It was easy to see why; Arcadia was relatively unexplored, with the forests that had been left from the Covenant attack having rebounded tenfold in the past few years, leaving plenty of space to construct clandestine bases hidden beneath the foliage.

There were several such bases that had been built on the surface, most of which were dedicated to researching and reverse engineering recovered Forerunner technology.

The main base, however, was in orbit. Romanov Station was located on the moon Gihon, buried beneath the surface about half a mile down. It was nearly impenetrable, with mini- MAC guns and anti-aircraft missiles armed and ready to destroy intruders at the single command from the facility's commander, Director Petrov. At the moment, said director was in the command center of the base, keeping a sharp eye on his subordinates, both human and Ai,from his office.

One member of the latter group was Alistair, a fourth generation black ops Ai in charge of slipspace monitoring. Despite his intended design, he had been assigned by the director to oversee communications between Romanov and the other ONI bases on the planet surface. This was one thing about his assignment that Alistair resented; Before he had been sent here, he had specialized in confusing Covenant forces with his tricks.

For whatever reason, CINCONI had decided to put him under the command of someone who held him- and most other Ais for that matter- in contempt. He could still remember the day he had arrived here. The director had pale skin with salt and pepper hair that had been shaved to fit under a black baseball cap with the ONI emblem. If that wasn't intimidating enough, Director Petrov had an extremely muscular body hidden beneath his suit, contrasting his cunning and ruthless nature. Everyone on the base knew better than to cross him. It was also the reason that Alistair hadn't objected to his position. At the moment, he was reviewing the transmissions sent from the Arcadia outposts, when his attention was drawn to a signal from one of the slipspace monitors. He opened the transmission. It read simply:

 **WARNING: SLIPSPACE RUPTURE DETECTED NEAR ROMANOV STATION. SCANNING FOR SOURCE OF RUPTURE. SOURCE FOUND. DO YOU WISH TO SEE LIVE FEED? Y/N**

"The heck is this?" He pressed yes and opened the feed. At first, he didn't see anything. Just the blackness of space and the occasional star. Wait… there was something else: a small speck of silver that seemed to be moving closer to the screen. Then it got bigger. Then bigger. Alastair watched in utter surprise as the silver glint quickly grew in size before it finally was clearly visible; From the looks of it, the vessel was a modified _winter_ -class prowler streaking at breakneck speed toward the moon. Suddenly awakening from his stupor, he opened a secure channel to the prowler, hoping that this attempt would slow the ship down long enough to decide what to do." This is ONI Ai Alastair 12-B68 to unidentified ONI prowler, slow down your thrusters and identify immediately." He waited for a response. All he got was static from the other end. "Unidentified prowler, please respond!" Still nothing. Now Alastair went into all out panic mode.

He opened a direct channel to the Director's office." Director Petrov, this is Alastair. Do you copy?" "What do you want?!I'm busy!"" Sir, we have an unidentified _winter_ class prowler flying a direct course for Romanov Station, and the pilot isn't responding! What are your orders sir?" The response from the Director was sharp at best." What in God's name are you talking about? Send me a live feed, now!" Alastair was all too willing to comply; Judging by the tone in his voice, the Director was likely in a worse mood than usual.

No sooner had the link been sent that the director was in the main command center, flanked by a pair of ODSTs. "Alright people, go to red alert! I want every marine on this station armed and ready to kill!" There was chorus of "yes sirs" from the staff. "Alastair, how long until that ship gets here?!" the Director barked." N-not very long sir. Should I hail the crew again?" the Ai asked. " I'll handle that myself. Corporal, open a comm!" "Yes sir!" the Director picked up a microphone and spoke." This is Director Petrov of Romanov Station to unidentified ONI prowler. I demand that you respond immediately. If you refuse to comply, we will use lethal force. What is your reply?"

There was silence for several seconds. Then, a grainy voice, though easily recognizable as male responded, "Acknowledged. Open a bay for me to land. No tricks, got it?" Petrov was taken aback for a moment, as he wasn't to being spoken to in such a manner. Still, he had to answer." Copy that. Proceed to Bay 7. The route is highlighted for you." After he had switched off the communications, he spoke to Alastair." Tell every soldier to get to that hangar bay and be armed with live rounds. If this is a trap by the Innies, we'll be ready." "Sir, the ship is coming in good faith is that really-" "I DON'T GIVE DAMN WHAT THEY COME IN! You have your orders, Alastair!" The Ai grunted." Yes sir."

A few minutes later, the prowler was landing inside of Docking Bay 7. It was greeted by a whole platoon of marines and ODSTs, as well as director Petrov himself, all of which were armed to the teeth with Magnums, SMGs, Automatic Rifles, and even a few rocket launchers. In the light of the hangar bay, the surface of the prowler could be seen to have a coating of black and silver paint, contrasted by streaks of azure and gold focused on the nose. Petrov stared at the vessel with an expression that seemed as if it were designed to burn a hole into the hull.

Finally, he picked a microphone from his back pocket, attached it to his left ear, and shouted," Alright, I ask that all crew members of this ship to come out with their hands up. Is that understood?" No response." If you refuse to comply, I will give the order to attack. I can assure you, there won't be much left of your ship if you choose that option-" There was a hiss as the bay door of the prowler lowered to the ground. Every finger edged ever closer to their designated trigger. The ramp lowered, and the sound of footsteps became audible, until all beheld the sight of… nothing. There was absolutely no one standing there. Glances were shot between soldiers. Petrov was the first to speak." Some of you at the front, move up! Search the ship!" After hesitating for a moment, two ODSTs and a marine crept toward the ramp. At that moment, the marine felt a breeze go by his left shoulder. He turned his head." What the he-" He never got a chance to finish. Before anyone could react, all three soldiers were laying strewn on the ground, knocked out senseless. Petrov stared in utter confusion. What had just happened? He hadn't seen anything attack, nor had the rest of the platoon. He was suddenly drawn from his thoughts by several gasps. He looked up.

One of the automatic rifles was lifting off the ground on its own accord. Suddenly it stopped, then began to move back and forth, as if an invisible had was testing the weapon. Then it leveled- directly at Petrov's head. _Oh crud._ The next thirty seconds were a blur of shouts, bullets, and screams of pain. By the time it was over, most of the troops in the hangar were incapacitated. The Director had managed to avoid the bullets and retreat to the command center with what few marines he had left. He was visibly shaking as he attempted to make sense of the situation. Finally, he managed to gather himself." S-seal all doors to this area! No one gets in without my direct permission, is that understood?" He received a few shaky nods from the soldiers.

At that moment, an ODST spoke up." Sir, what should we do? Do you want us to call for reinforcements from Arcadia?" "No…no. We must keep this contained. The Innies must have gotten their hands on some Covenant tech. They likely came here for more supplies-" A voice came into earshot." Not exactly Director, but you aren't too far off with that assumption." Petrov looked around, searching for the source of the voice." Alistair!" "Yes sir?" the Ai responded." Scan the room! Find out if we're alone in here!" "Y-yes sir." The was momentary pause as Alistair scanned the area." No heat signatures detected, or any signature for that matte-" He was cut off abruptly as the lights overhead flickered and died. There was a collective gasp as both the Director and the remaining soldiers looked around wildly for some source of illumination.

A marine cried out," What the hell is going on?!" Then, another voice became audible: the sound of someone laughing- with sinister glee from what anyone could tell. The ODST who had spoken before said," What… is that?" No one got the chance to respond to his question. The laughing never stopped, but the sound of what could only be people crying in agony as some unknown attacker finished them off in the darkness. The lights suddenly turned back on. Director Petrov slowly opened his eyes(he had closed them after the room had gone dark). The sight that met his eyes left him utterly speechless: the marines and ODSTs that had escaped with him from the hangar bay all lay at his feet, dead. He stared, too shocked and terrified to move. The laughing had finally stopped, only to be replaced by the voice from earlier." To be honest with you, I'm somewhat disappointed; I expected better from an ONI facility. Instead, I find myself dispatching marines that fight like children." Fear turned to rage as the Director searched wildly for the source of the voice. He was the only living person in the room.

Petrov was an egotist by nature, so any belittlement to himself or the soldiers he trained was taken very personally." Show yourself coward! I won't be insulted by some Innie terrorist who won't even show his face!" There was a sigh as the voice responded." Innie coward, huh? I'm afraid I must make two corrections. First of all, I am **_not_** an insurrectionist. Second," Director Petrov stared as the air in front of him shimmered and rippled to reveal a black and silver armored Spartan materialized." I may hide when the need arises, but I am no coward."

Petrov stared at the newcomer. He had known about Spartans, but had never encountered one in a situation such as this.

The super soldier stood at an estimated seven feet tall, donning a Warrior class chest piece, Reach variant leg armor, and a Recruit helmet and shoulder armor. The entire suit was painted black, with generous amounts of silver painted onto the chest, legs, arms, and helmet, perfectly contrasting the indigo visor that reflected Petrov's face. He stared for a moment, trying to decide how to deal with this Spartan. He couldn't fight this guy, at least not alone; Even ONI officials had heard stories about these legends. The Covenant had been right to call them 'Demons'. That left stalling and intimidation. If he could distract this stranger long enough, he might be able to pick up a weapon from one of the corpses, hopefully to also be able to take down the Spartan's shield.

"Who are you? What authorization do you have to come onto **_my base_** , kill ONI soldiers, and threaten me?" The Spartan chuckled." You may call me… Umbra. As I recall, **_you_** were the one making the threats, not me. As for the soldiers, the only ones I… eliminated are all here. The rest in the hangar are simply unconscious." That gave the Director pause. Shaking off the surprise of the failure of his tactics, he continued." Why are you on this station then? Who the hell sent you here?" Umbra didn't seemed phased." No one sent me here Director. I came on my own accord. I simply needed some information from your data drives. If you would allow me to retrieve that data, I'll leave without incident. If not…"

That pushed the ONI director over the edge." How **_dare_** you! You think you can just land here, invade this facility, rob my data drive, and just leave?! You will pay with your life for this, you traitor!" His rage driving him on, Petrov picked up an assault rifle and barreled toward the Spartan, unloading every bullet left in the clip. Umbra simply dodged past the gunfire and ran toward his attacker. In a single movement, he had the rifle gripped in his left hand, and the Directors throat in his right. The was a metallic _crunch_ as the gun was crushed in the Spartan's fist. Lifting Petrov into the air with barely any effort, he brought the man's face close to the helmet.

Petrov stared in terror as the visor depolarized enough to reveal a pair of silver eyes staring at him. Umbra's voice had lost all sense of amusement, replaced by a venomous tone." Traitor? I don't think so. Am I a traitor for wanting to bring down the organization that will drag Humanity into extinction?!"The grip on the Director's throat tightened." ONI took everything from me. Everything! I intend on making them pay." He brought Petrov closer." I could kill you right now you know. Hold you up until you suffocate or your windpipe collapses. Either way, it would be a slow and brutal death. Fortunately for **_you,_** I need you alive. To deliver a message." He dropped the Director to the ground, leaving him gasping for air. Umbra turned his back on the wretch." You are not my target, Director Petrov. You are but a pawn in a much larger game. I spare your life today to prove a point: You cannot defend Humanity if you lack what makes you _human._ Remember that." He turned to a holotank nearby. " Alistair, execute override protocol _undead iridium."_ "What are you alking about? There is no such proto-proto c-col-argh!" The was a moment of silence before Alistair spoke again." What is your command, Spartan Umbra?"

"search and download all files pertaining Forerunner data, specifically dating from 2257 from known encounters from the planet Requiem. Oh, and give me a copy of all data existing in the files, understood?" "Yes Spartan Umbra." Umbra pulled a data chip from his helmet and inserted it into the holotank and waited for the download to complete. There was a _hiss_ as the chip was ejected. The Spartan placed it back in his helmet. Walking to the door, he turned one last time to look at Director Petrov,who was still gasping.." Your compatriots on the surface should come to see if everything is in order soon. By then, I'll be long gone. I enjoyed the little chat we had, but I have a mission to complete." Still walking, he spoke again." Send my regards to Admiral Osman." The door closed behind him. Petrov managed to sit up slightly. Pressing a com link on his wrist, he said," This is Director Petrov to Arcadia… there's been a breach. Call CINCONI… Spartan Umbra… is alive." He collapsed on the ground, knocked out cold on the floor.

 ** _Aright you guys, that was the prologue for Halo: Renegades. Sorry it took so long to finish it up; I had a lot of stuff to do so I didn't get as much time as I wanted on this. Still, not a bad job, no? Submit your comments, ideas, and criticisms in the box below. Let me know what you think so far. Sierra Nova, signing off._**


	2. Chapter One

Chapter one

June 16th, 2558, undisclosed location

In the steamy jungle, a Promethean Crawler stalked through the foliage. The dog-like creature stood at about five feet tall, with floating pieces of alien metal making up the body and head, coupled with glowing orange light. This particular crawler had an elongated head, ending in what appeared to be a pair of mandibles. This was a sniper variant. These types generally hunted in pairs, but this one had been separated from its partner hours before. Suddenly, there was a rustle of leaves nearby. The crawler looked up and tensed, searching for the source of the noise.

" _Bang!"_ The Promethean let out a feral screech as it disintegrated into hundreds of orange specks. The unfortunate Forerunner construct might have been a formidable sniper, but it wasn't used to protecting its backside. That was from where the attack had come. The brush behind where the crawler had been moved again, giving was a Spartan wearing turquoise colored _Centaurion_ class armor stood up, slinging a DMR onto his back. This was Fred-104, a member of Blue Team, a squad of some of the remaining Spartan IIs. Fred depolarized his gold visor, to reveal a pair of brown eyes filled with satisfaction. "Now that's how it's done."

"You could have just killed it with your knives, you know." A female voice with a British accent responded over the comm." That would have been quicker." Fred was unshaken." Maybe Kelly, but it's quieter than your shotgun. That would've brought a whole pack of those things, or worse." "Noted." Fred watched as a female Spartan dropped out of a nearby tree. Kelly- 087, also a member of Blue Team, wore a set silvery azure _Hermes_ class armor with a globular visor with similar coloring as Fred's, was armed with a standard UNSC shotgun, which she currently gripping in her hands. "Have you heard from any of the other teams?" she asked. "Negative. Linda and Chief haven't been talking either." There was a shriek, followed by the howls of what could only be a pack of Crawlers, or possibly a Knight. "The one you killed must've been a scout. We should get moving." "Copy that." replied Fred.

The pair of Spartans covered vast amounts of ground thanks to their augmentations, eliminating hostiles as they went. They were just approaching the edge of a clearing when Fred called out," Hold up! We got something." The pair slowed down at the edge of the clearing. Sure enough, two dozen Promethean Crawlers ran into the space. Following behind was a trio of Promethean Knights. Two of them were Lancer variants, armed with Forerunner suppressor rifles and hook-like hard light blades, while the third was a Captain variant, identifiable by the plates of gold hard light covering the body and face.

This monstrosity was armed with a forerunner scattershot rifle and a blade designed for clean, precise cuts, making it even more lethal than its bodyguards. Fred turned to Kelly." I'll head behind them, try to flank the bigger ones. Think you can handle those crawlers?" He could practically hear the fellow Spartan chuckle under her visor." Leave them to me. This shouldn't be a problem." Fred nodded, and stalked off into the brush. The turquoise armored Spartan II pulled the DMR of his back and added a fresh ammunition clip into the barrel. He had modified the scope for extra precision shots, thus saving the bullets.

He would need every last one, especially for the Captain; that class was considered one of the most dangerous Promethean units known to the UNSC. He had reached the far end of the clearing. He crouched down and aimed for the Lancer to the left of the Captain. The scope focused on the head, just behind the neck. Fred pulled the trigger. "Bang!" the bullet smashed through layers of hard light and steel before exiting on the other side of the Promethean's head. It let out a blood curdling screech before disintegrating in orange pixels. That sent the rest of the pack into a frenzy. The remaining Lancer turned and caught sight of the attacker. It roared, revealing the bright orange skull hidden beneath its mask. It aimed its suppressor at Fred, firing off hundreds of rounds of superheated particles at the offending Spartan.

Fred had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. He felt several of the rounds scrape his energy shields. He fired off more bullets as he ran through the trees. He shouted into the commlink," Kelly, _**now!"**_ "On it!" He watched as Kelly charged into the clearing, firing shotgun rounds into every crawler in sight. He ducked down as more particle rounds headed his way. These were closer. _Crap. The next barrage will take out my shields for sure._ He spared another glance into the clearing.

Kelly had switched from her shotgun to a pair of magnum pistols, which she was currently using to fend off the few crawlers that remained.

Unfortunately for her, the Knight Captain was quickly advancing upon the lone Spartan, hard light blade raised. It had just deployed a Promethean Watcher from its back. The bird-like creature flew about with a pair of circular wings, firing energy rounds from the Boltshot embedded within its body. Fred watched as his partner's shields flared, sputtered, and died. That was it. He charged into the clearing, bounding to the aid of his fellow Spartan. The Lancer that had been attacking him swung its blade, aiming to slice him in half. _Not this time_. He slid beneath the Promethean, ducking below the blade as it passed mere centimeters from his helmet. He aimed his DMR up, and fired all the remaining ammunition in the clip. The Lancer's leg exploded in a flurry of sparks. The reaction traveled up the rest of the body, utterly consuming the construct. It let out a dying scream as it fell, dropping its suppressor.

Fred grabbed it before it hit the ground. He kept running toward the remaining hostiles. He aimed first at the Watcher. He fired of a few particles before the machine fell to ground in a smoking pile of charred metal. He continued to sprint head on towards the Captain. It had just pinned Kelly to the ground, and was about to thrust its blade into her midsection. "NO!" The Knight turned to find the source of the noise. It was met with a barrage of projectiles from Fred's suppressor. It backed away from Kelly, attempting to shield itself from the sudden assault. It aimed its cannon towards the attacker. Beams of orange energy streaked toward Fred. He engaged his thruster pack. He soared into the air, finally landing on top of the Captain's back. The Promethean roared in outrage, spinning around and flailing its arms in a desperate attempt to get this pesky human off its back. Fred stowed the Forerunner weapon onto his back and grabbed one of the giant plates that covered the giant's back. He pulled up. There was a metallic 'crack', and the metal drape fell to the ground. The Promethean bucked and kicked, screaming in rage. It managed to throw Fred to the ground, only to be caught by Kelly. "You alright?" she asked. He nodded." Yeah, though I'm not sure how long we can hold up; This one is tough." They watched as the Knight recovered its strength before turning to face them. Its face opened up to reveal its bright orange skull. It aimed the incineration cannon at the pair. It glowed orange as it prepared to fire. "Bang!" There was an inhuman screech of pain as the Knight's right arm exploded in a blaze of orange flakes, dropping the cannon to the ground. Kelly and Fred stared as a pair of Spartans charged out of the trees.

The first was a woman clad in tan _Argus_ class armor wielding a similarly colored sniper rifle. Linda-058, the sniper of Blue team, was an expert with long range weapons, human or otherwise. It was she that had fired the round. The twin peek-holes in the helmet were perfect for such attacks. The second Spartan was just as intimidating. Dressed in dark olive green Mark _VI_ armor with an orange gold visor and armed with an Assault rifle, Master Chief petty officer John- 117, the leader of Blue team and the savior of Humanity two times over, sprinted toward the Captain at breakneck speed. He grabbed the Knight's blade, dislodged it from the magnetic field holding it in place, and drove it into the Promethean's exposed chest. It let out a final screech before dissolving in a cloud of orange.

Linda ran over to Kelly and Fred, helping them to their feet. " Sorry we were late. Resistance was more… extreme than expected." Fred chuckled.

"I'm sure it was. Good timing by the way." " Blue one, Blue three, status." John had walked over to where the rest of his team was standing." All systems are green on my end, Chief." Fred replied. "You good, Kelly?" "Well, besides a few scratches here and there, I'm fine." John nodded." Alright." The was a metallic hum as a voice spoke." UNSC _Infinity_ Warzone simulation Requiem completed. Well done your four; You broke your previous record." John turned to the rest of his fireteam." Good job Blue Team." Their attention was suddenly drawn as the entrance of the simulator opened to grant in a woman with dark brown hair clad in silver _Scout_ class armor entered, flanked by a pair of Spartan _Recruits._

This was Commander Sarah Palmer, the leader of the Spartan IVs onboard the _Infinity._ Though not quite as powerful as the IIs, mostly due to the less extreme augmentations performed on them, Palmer and the rest of the IVs were quite formidable in combat. Palmer addressed John first. " Not too shabby Master Chief. I'm impressed by you and your team, as always. It's no wonder you have one of the best service records in the UNSC." "Thank you Ma'am." The Chief replied. Palmer continued. " Still, I didn't come down here to chat. Captain Lasky needs you and the rest of your team on the bridge." Fred spoke up." If you don't mind me asking Commander, why are we all required there? John's the leader." "As much as I would like to know myself, I'm as clueless as you are. The Captain simply requested your presence immediately. That's about all I know."

John said," Tell the Captain that we'll be there shortly." Palmer smiled." In that case, I'll see you four at the armor bay afterwards." With that, she and her two escorts left. Kelly asked," Why would Lasky ask for all of us?"" Must be something worth listening to, whatever it is." Linda responded. They turned to see that John was already leaving- without the rest of his team. They ran to catch up with him "Wait up!" Fred called. Kelly said to Linda," He's been acting quiet lately…" "He's always been quiet." "I know that, but this is different. He was always withdrawn, but ever since what happened on Requiem-" Linda cut her off." Kelly, I'm aware that he lost Cortana. We all know. He's trying to deal with it the only way he knows how. If he needs help, he'll tell us." Kelly, of course, did know. While John was the only member of Blue Team who knew Cortana personally, it was easy for the rest of his team to see that the loss of his friend was having a devastating effect on the supersoldier. John, like all other Spartan IIs, had been abducted as a child, augmented, and trained to be cold stone warriors. Their humanity had been seemingly lost in the process. Cortana had been John's one link to such feelings. Without her, he seemed as emotionless as ever.

It didn't take long for Blue Team to reach the command bridge of the _Infinity._ They found it slightly less busy than usually. The Human flagship was currently orbiting the now rebuilt UNSC planet Reach, making for a stunning view. Captain Thomas Lasky was approximately five feet four inches, with sandy brown hair that contrasted his gray uniform. At the moment, he was talking to the _Infinity's_ AI Roland. Roland was a third generation smart AI designed specifically for the flagship's systems. He resembled a World War II pilot. Lasky caught sight of the Spartans. He waved a hand to dismiss Roland. He walked up to them, smiling. "Thank you for arriving on such short notice, all of you." Fred said," No problem, Sir."

John spoke up," I was curious as to why Commander Palmer was uninformed as to why we were called." Lasky rubbed the back of his head." Well, I'm afraid that this particular assignment required… extreme discretion. Some of the higher ups insisted." Kelly tilted her visor." Who?" Lasky responded," It's better if I let someone else explain. Roland, patch the Admiral through." Right away Sir." A projector on a nearby wall activated, revealing a life size hologram of a woman with black hair tied in a bun dressed in the attire of an officer of the Office of Naval intelligence. The woman turned to look at Captain Lasky. "Greetings, Captain." Lasky said to Blue Team," Spartans, this is Admiral Osman, head of the Office of Naval Intelligence. She has an assignment for you."

"Yes, thank you Captain. Approximately four days ago, an ONI research facility near Arcadia Known as Romanov Station came into contact with an unidentified ONI _winter_ class prowler at about 1700 hours." The holo-table next to the admiral opened a screen, showing a blueprint of the facility and what appeared to be a recording of said prowler." The lead officer at Romanov, Director Victor Petrov allowed the prowler to enter. When it landed, the platoon sent to investigate the ship was engaged by an unknown assailant who, as far as intelligence officers can tell, was some form of modified active camouflage." The screen changed to show footage of an entire platoon of marines and ODSTs dispatched by some invisible attacker. Fred muttered," My god…" Osman continued." The attacker finally revealed himself to Director Petrov, incapacitating him and overriding an AI to steal data files from Romanov's archives." Linda asked," Did you manage to identify the man?" Osman nodded." That we did, 058. From what can be recovered, the attacker was a former agent of ONI, one Alexander Lucien, a Spartan operative that was labeled as KIA." A hologram appeared, showing a 3-D model of Lucien in full armor. It was a mixed design, with a _Warrior_ class chest plate, Reach variant _Grenadier_ leg pieces, and a _Recruit_ helmet and shoulder armor. John asked," What else do you know about this agent?"

"Well, most of that is classified, Master Chief. During the war, he was an expert on Covenant communications systems, making him an invaluable asset during his time. Afterwards, he was assigned the codename Umbra, and was sent to infiltrate remaining insurrectionist movements, as well as retrieving artifacts from known Forerunner sites. Five months ago he was sent on one such mission to Gao, an rebel stronghold. When he didn't return, we assumed that he had been discovered before he could complete his objective. However, it would seem as though he survived and joined the Insurrection."

Linda asked," Do you know what data was stolen?" "It would appear Spartan Umbra was after files pertaining to the Forerunner shield world Requiem, particularly on your encounter with the Librarian and her information on the Composer, Master Chief. As to why he would be after that information is still unclear, but it is possible that he has been tasked by the Insurrectionists to locate one such device. If that is the case, we cannot allow such technology to fall into enemy hands. Unfortunately, he disappeared before he could be intercepted. However, standard security drones managed to attach a tracking device to the prowler's hull. Six hours ago, we received a transmission from the device, which originated from the Outer Colony planet known as Kholo." John asked," What is our mission than, Admiral?" " Simple. You and your team are to find Spartan Umbra and bring him to ONI custody. Retrieve the data he stole and prevent it from falling into enemy hands." Fred asked," What's our transportation?" It was then that Captain Lasky spoke up." We have a modified cargo ship in the hangar bay waiting for you." Linda gawked at him through her visor." A cargo ship?" Lasky raised a hand." You'll be going into territory that isn't UNSC controlled. I wouldn't be surprised if you found a base operated by the NCA. I'm sure you all remember incidents we've had with them." The silence was his answer. The New Colonial Alliance, led by the mysterious Admiral Mattius Drake, had grown exponentially over the past four years, attacking the _Infinity_ twice and nearly succeeding in both cases." The ship will make for an inconspicuous arrival should you encounter anyone. On top of that, it's equipped with a modified slipspace drive, so you should be able to make a quick exit in case things turn ugly."

"We can handle it Sir," John responded." You can be sure of that." "I'm glad to hear it." Osman replied." Good luck to you, John-117. Should you succeed, I'll be sure to reward you and your team very generously." She saluted them, and the transmission ended. Lasky turned to Blue Team." I'll have Roland fill you in on the rest. Good luck to you all." They all responded," Yes Sir." In the hall outside, Fred said to John, "You sure you want to go through with this?" "We have our orders." Fred stepped in front of his leader, depolarizing his visor to look him straight in the eye." That didn't answer my question. You haven't been acting like yourself. Are you sure you can handle this right now?" Kelly spoke up." Fred-" "It's alright Kelly." John interrupted.

He depolarized his own visor, revealing a face covered in battles scars, which did little to hide the slight gleam in his brown eyes." I understand your concern Fred, but I'm fine. We finish this mission, and then we can talk about this. Understood?" Fred gave a reluctant sigh before replying," Understood." "Alright." The Chief polarized his visor again. "I know you all are worried about me, after what happened to Cortana. She's gone. I've accepted that. There was nothing I could do, and I just have to move on. We're still family, no matter what. Alright?" His teammates looked at each other before nodding in confirmation. John smile under his helmet. "Then let's get this done. Blue Team, fall out."

 _ **Alright, you guys! This one Chapter One of my first fanfic! Sorry about the long wait. The Microsoft word on my computer was acting up, but I managed to get it fixed. I'm not sure if I did a good job on the characters' personalities, so let me know what you think of that. Next chapter, I introduce my OC. I hope you enjoy. Write your reviews and criticisms in the box below. See you later!**_

 _ **Sincerely,**_ _ **Sierra Nova**_ ;-)


	3. Update

Alright, firs, for those of you who may have been following this story, I'm sorry chapter 2 hasn't been posted yet; It's taking longer than I expected, and I'm trying to make it longer than the previous two. It is getting there though. I appreciate the follows that I have received. Just hang in a bit longer!

Thanks,

Sierra Nova


	4. 3

Chapter Two

  
  


Unidentified star system, outer colony of Kholo, June 17th, 2558

  
  


Kholo wasn't much to look at, even from a distance. The planet had been witness to a battle against the old Covenant in 2539, and the surface had been left relatively uninhabitable. The alien hegemony, as with the rest of human worlds that it had encountered, had glassed Kholo, leaving behind a symbol that UNSC intelligence had translated as referring to faith, a constant reminder to enemies of the now dissolved empire.

  
  


It was also a reminder to John 117 of all the comrades he had lost during that war. He had been witness to several glassings, and it wasn't uncommon for the Covenant to leave behind symbols of their religion etched into the ground. Kholo was one such example. He was staring directly at it through the view port of the cargo ship he and the rest of Blue Team were aboard. The vessel was a Bactrian- class freighter, primarily used by smugglers transporting goods under the noses of UEG customs officials. These ships were usually small cramped, and could only hold about two people in its cockpit. However, this particular tug had been redesigned to accommodate the four Spartans within its hull, as well as an improved slipspace drive for increased maneuverability. 

  
  


The middle of the ship had also been made into a weapons store, equipped with opening side doors to allow easy access. John was unused to such cramped quarters, but he had decided to endure it for the time being. From his position in the cockpit, he had a full view of Kholo's surface. He spoke. "Atlas, any sign of the beacon on the surface?" There was a beep, and an automated voice responded," Affirmative, Master Chief. It is faint, but the signal seems to be originating from a remote location not far from the ruins of a UNSC fire base."

  
  


" Is there any sign of our target?" " Negative, and his vessel \hasn't made an appearance either. Do you wish to set a course?" John nodded. " Copy. Make it discrete." "Acknowledged." The Chief sighed as the ship accelerated toward Kholo's surface. He had been reluctant at first to have a dumb AI brought aboard, mostly due to their fragility in combat situations. This particular AI, named Atlas, seemed to be the exception; He had been built to interface with ODST armor systems, and had been refitted for this particular mission. John was just glad that Atlas didn't seem to display emotion like smart AIs did. He didn't need to be reminded of… her. John chided himself. There was nothing you could do. She's gone; Get over it. He stood up from his seat and headed into the cargo bay. Fred, Linda, and Kelly were almost finished prepping their weapons of choice for the mission. 

  
  


"Everyone ready?" Kelly responded," Affirmative." Fred asked," Once we touch down, what's the plan once we touch down on the surface?" John told him, "We'll be landing half a klick away from the target's location to avoid being detected. From there, we head for the signal and try to surprise Umbra. Bring him in, along with the data he stole." Linda turned her attention from the sniper rifle she was arming." If the NCA is with him, what do we do?" " We probably won't encounter hostiles. All the same, be on guard." Atlas' voice came over the speaker." Blue Team, we have arrived at the DLZ. Master Chief, do you wish for me to remain with the ship?" "Negative, Atlas. I'll need you to monitor my fireteam and I on the ground, so you'll be coming with us. Prepare to transfer." Acknowledged. Stand by." There was a hiss as a nearby holotank produced a data chip, a circle of mint green light glowing in the center. John pulled it from its place and inserted it into the back of his helmet, connecting Atlas to his HUD. 

  
  


John turned to the others." Atlas will be keeping tabs on our locations if we have to separate." Curious; The design of your helmet is similar to the helmets ODSTs make use of." The chief merely grunted in response. There was a thud as they all felt the ship land. John walked toward one of the bay doors. Presently, he felt something grab his arm. He looked up to see Fred staring at him." You good?" John nodded. As the hatch opened, he breathed in a deep sigh, before saying," Blue Team… advance."

  
  


Two hours later…

  
  


You would have thought that a squad of Spartans and an AI would have been able to easily to track a rouge. You would be right. Blue team had ranked the highest number of missions in the UNSC, several of which were capture ops. This should have been fairly simple, especially with an AI, albeit a less advanced one. However, this wasn't the case today. The signal they had been following was constantly shifting every time they came within close range of it. Kelly smacked the tracker console on her gauntlet as the beacon shifted for the umpteenth time. "This is not funny; Why does it keep moving?!"

  
  


Fred responded," Seems like this 'Umbra' is more cunning than he seems. It must be some sort of decoy. Atlas, can you reconfigure the coordinates, try to track it down?" "Yes Master Chief, though I am unsure that it will produce anyth- " John cocked an eyebrow." Atlas?" "I have just received a fresh set of coordinates, leading approximately half a kilometer northwest of our current position. Most curious…" Linda, who had been listening to this exchange, asked," What is it?" Atlas responded," The coordinates I received came from an unknown entity of unknown classification. It doesn't appear to be UNSC, but it seems to have a… human-made design. Whether it is connected to Spartan Umbra is impossible to determine, but it would lead on to presume it wishes to lead us to his location." 

  
  


Kelly scoffed." Why should we follow that? It'll probably phase out once we get close." "On the contrary, 087, this set appears to be more stable than the others we have followed. I would suggest we proceed." John spoke up." Agreed. If it is Umbra, we take him by surprise. Kelly, you and Fred attack from the rear and flanks, try to corner him. Linda, you stay out of sight to pin him down if the situation gets out of hand." Fred asked," Just what will you be doing?" The Chief smiled beneath his visor." You'll see ." Fred shook his head ever so slightly. "It figures."

  
  


That was exactly what they did. It didn't take long for Blue Team to reach the designated location, seeing as though they now had a solid location. Finally, they reached their assigned positions in range of the target. They had arrived in a large canyon, possibly the remains of a river left behind from the destruction of Kholo. The beacon was positioned on a plateau a few meters down . John was hiding behind a cluster of debris. He pulled the Assault Rifle off of his back, gripping it tight. He addressed Atlas." Are you detecting any life up there?" "Negative. However, there is something else; It appears to be the entity from before. The signal it is broadcasting is stronger than before. I recommend caution." John rolled his eyes. Go figure.  He opened a commlink to Linda. "Linda, do you see anything from your position?"

  
  


There was a buzz of static." Hang on, I'll scope in." The female Spartan aimed her sniper rifle at the beacon source." Just piles of – wait, I see something. Some sort of bluish glow." There was another buzz as Fred chimed in. "I don't see anything from here. It could be an ambush. Chief, should we approach?" John dared to take a glimpse. Indeed, there was a faint azure light glowing in the shadow of the ravine wall. He didn't see anything besides that. Still… "Kelly, Fred, approach the target, proceed with caution. Linda, Watch their back. Understood?" There was a trio of green lights confirming the order. John sighed. Why did this all seem too easy?

  
  


…………………………………………………………

"I told this was a bad idea."

"You know them! You have to give the a chance !"

The black armored figure shifted slightly as he watched the goings- on from his position at the top of the cliff. He grumbled briefly, annoyed at the annoying persistence of the passenger inside his helmet. "They were sent to capture me, to capture you! When I agreed to help you, I didn't say I'd get into a fight I can't win on my own!"

  
  


The female voice responded," I'm well aware of our arrangement, and if I recall, it did involve those four, their leader in particular, unless you forgot that specific part of our deal." The figure sighed. He'd been had by this… come to think of it, he wasn't sure just what he should call her exactly. "Fine, you have me on that. Still, I certainly didn't expect to encounter them like- like this! I was expecting some Helljumpers, or even a fireteam of Spartan IVs. ONI seems less than pleased with that stunt on Arcadia. What I don't understand is why you insisted on taking such risks just to talk to John and the others!"

  
  


"I told you, we need them! We're running out of time, Spartan." Said Spartan remained silent for a moment as he watched two of the other Spartans- Kelly and Fred, from what he had been able to intercept- made their way to the beacon he had positioned. I see four years without the Chief hasn't made them any bolder. Still, it's good to see them again.

  
  


"What do you even want me to say to them? Hey guys, remember me, your old teammate? I was wondering if you could help me and my friend with this rouge mission. I doubt that would work." The voice sighed before responding," Just- talk to them like I did to you when we first met. You've know them since you were six, for God's sake-""Alright, alright, I get it! I just that this plan of yours doesn't backfire considering how quickly you whipped it up."

  
  


He could imagine the mischievous grin blooming on the face of his female companion. "Don't worry, it won't. " The pair watched as the two Spartans reached the glowing light.

  
  


………………………………………………………..

  
  


"What… is that?" Those were hardly the words Fred expected to come out of his mouth, and yet there they were. Both himself and Kelly were staring at the source of the light: a triangular piece of carbon colored metal with a blue orb of what appeared to be glass floating two inches above the main body. The hexagonal pattern of the skin vaguely resembled Covenant age armor, albeit a much darker version. Kelly crouched down to examine the device more closely. " It looks like a Forerunner design, though it seems… different." There was a buzz as John's commlink opened. "Different how?" Kelly edged closer to the device." It doesn't have any glyphs like other artifacts, just hexagons." She noticed that the orb twitched ever so slightly toward her direction. Fred saw her flinch. "Kelly, what is it?" "I don't know. It just moved towards me- the orb I mean." Fred's visor depolarized, revealing the confused expression he wore beneath. "What do you mean it moved?" Kelly didn't answer; She was reaching toward the sphere, and as she did, a stream of light reached toward her hand. Fred moved to stop her." Kelly wait!" Her fingers made contact with the orb. 

  
  


The ensuing blast of high pitched sound was strong enough to send anyone without proper protection lose consciousness. Along with that, the device let out a pulse of blue light that sent Blue Team flying in all directions. John was forced to dodge falling boulders destabilized by the shockwave; Linda was knocked off her perch on the cliff, managing to save herself only by gripping her hands deep into a crevice; As for Fred and Kelly, the blast sent them hurtling off the edge off the cliff into the falling debris below. Regardless, all four Spartans experienced the sensation of being thrown about like a ragdoll before blacking out.

  
  


  
  


  
  


Linda was the first to regain consciousness. What just happened? She looked around her. She was surrounded by boulders, pieces of rusty and twisted metal, as well as other forms of refuse she couldn't identify. She looked down at herself. Given the events that had just occurred within the last few minutes, her armor hadn't sustained too much damage, with the exceptions of a few large areas where paint had been scraped off and a few dents. She opened a link. " This is Linda to Blue Team. What's your status?" The only response she got was static. She tried again." Blue Team, please respond!" Still nothing. Where were the others? She picked up her sniper rifle, also relatively undamaged, and stowed it on her back. She began to climb out of the debris. Wherever they were, she would find them, and hopefully the one who had set that trap.

  
  


…………………………………………

  
  


Her world was a blur of muffled noises and light. Kelly tried to move, but her limbs felt numb. On top of that, she couldn't focus on her surroundings; Every time she tried, her forehead throbbed with a needle sharp pain. It was then that a muffled voice became audible. It took her a few seconds for her to make out the words. "Kelly! Kelly, wake up!" She managed to focus her eyes as her HUD came into view. Her shields were damaged but recovering. "Kelly, get up!" She turned her head in the direction of the voice. An cyan armored figure was shaking her with evident concern. It was Fred. His visor was depolarized, revealing the concern on his face.

  
  


Kelly stirred, finally regaining control of her limbs. Her partner reached out a hand, which she gladly took. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, you? " Fred nodded in response. The Spartans examined one another. The sight wasn't pretty; Fred had several dents in his armor, including a particularly large one on his chest. Kelly hadn't fared much better. Her visor was cracked, the jagged lines skewing across her vison. Both of them were covered in scratches. Kelly looked around. Somehow, they had both managed to remain on the mesa, which was now surrounded by loads of rubble. Kelly looked around, searching for any sign of life. "Where are the others?" 

  
  


"I don't know. I haven't gotten a signal since you touched that- that thing." Kelly didn't answer; She was still looking around her. She couldn't seem to look straight in front of her; Every time that she tried, her eyes became unnaturally sensitive to the sunlight, even with her visor. Fred looked at her, now visibly concerned. " Kelly, what's wrong?" The female Spartan finally managed to shake off the dizziness before she responded." Yeah, I- I'm fine. Just a bit… dazed. What happened?" "What happened? You set off a bomb when you touched that thing. I don't know how we got out of there." Kelly felt for her back; Somehow, her shotgun had stayed attached to the magnet. "We should get going. The others shouldn't be too far away." Fred nodded in agreement, muttering," Well, might as well get used to this."

  
  


……………………………..

  
  


Darkness. That was all John could see. He remembered this felling from the four years spent on the Forward unto Dawn: utter blackness with no sense of existing. That had ended when he and Cortana had arrived at Requiem. The ensuing pain of those memories was impossible to hold back. He tried to resist those final moments with his companion, desperate to hold back that final goodbye from appearing. Welcome home, John. It was agonizing for him. Why couldn't he fight this? He could swear he could make out her voice- wait… now that he focused, he actually did hear someone's voice. It didn't sound quite like Cortana, and yet it seemed… familiar. He was just able to make out the words:" Chief- Chief, wake up! Can you hear me?" The Spartan finally began to claw his way out of the black.

  
  


He began to finally make out where he was. He was lying face down on the ground, trapped within a pile of boulders. His shields were down, and didn't seem to be regenerating any time soon. Other than that, he seemed alright. He heard the voice again. "Chief, are you there?" John managed to shake off his disorientation to respond. " Who are you?" " I can't explain that at the moment . Your shields are offline, I presume?" That caught John off guard." How did you-" "Nevermind. Give me a moment, this should take care of it." A few seconds later, John gawked as his shield regenerated almost instantly. What the? "No need to thank me, Chief." said the voice. John took a few seconds before speaking again. As he listened more closely, he could hear the subtle digitized tone in the stranger's voice. She- if it was a she- was an AI of some sort, though seemingly more advanced than any that the UNSC had managed to produce. How this mystery construct had been able to repair his shields in so little time without even being in his neural lace was beyond him. Speaking of that…

  
  


"Atlas, report. What's your status?" The response he received was enough to make him cringe; Most of what he heard was static, but was able to pick up what sounded like the Ai was screeching in… pain. The stranger spoke up again." Oh, I forgot about your friend. The device my partner and I built was designed to disable your tracking systems, but I guess it was too much for this 'Atlas' to handle. Don't worry, he should recover fairly quickly. " "Your partner?" At that moment, another voice interrupted the conversation. I thought I told you not to contact them, especially him!" The voice was obviously male, though somewhat garbled by what was likely projected interference." Who is this?" The response was more contained than the previous outburst, but still threatening. "Well, seeing as though you and the rest of Blue Team are here, I presume that Admiral Osman has already informed you of my identity." 

  
  


John bared his teeth beneath the visor." You're Alexander Lucien, aren't you?" "Ha! Is that who that spook told you I was? I'm not surprised to be honest." "Answer my question; Are you Spartan Umbra?" John heard a sigh on the other end of the connection. "Guilty. Look, I'd love to chat more, but I have a job to do. If you'll excuse both myself and my companion, I'll be on my way." The other voice spoke up. "Wait-" "I've heard enough." 'Jesse', if that was indeed her name, went silent. John yelled, "No!" but Umbra had already cut the transmission. Growling in frustration at losing his target, John grabbed a particularly large boulder near him. With some effort, he managed to lift the stone out of the way. He ran out into the sunlight, where he saw the extent of the damage caused by the device the Ai had talked about. He tried Atlas again. "Atlas, can you hear me?" Silence. Then, a faint voice became audible. "W-where am I? What happened?" That gave the Spartan pause. "Atlas? Is that you?" "Y-yes, I think so. John- 117, correct?" "Yes?" There was a pause as the intelligence seemed to process this information. John asked," What happened to you? You sound… different." "I feel different." The Ai responded. "I don't remember much after the explosion. When I came back online, I seemed more… complex."

  
  


"Complex in what way?"

  
  


Atlas didn't respond for several seconds, and John was beginning to think that his passenger had gone offline again, when Atlas finally responded." I don't really know. My systems are more intricately built, almost as though they were redesigned. As for my core, well… reshaped somehow." Great, John thought.  He's gotten an upgrade. "Are your navigation systems still functional?" 

  
  


he asked. Atlas responded," So far as I can tell, yes. I heard the last of your exchange with whom I presume was Spartan Umbra, and that Ai of his. I'm guessing you wish for me to locate their position?" "Affirmative." "Give me a moment." Atlas responded. It took only a few seconds for him to find the targets. "Found 'em. They're half a mile ahead of our position, running due North through the chasm." That was all the Chief needed to hear. Within moments he was sprinting down the ravine. Atlas said, " You're almost there. They should be right about…" It was then that John took a turn, and found himself at a dead end in the chasm."…Here." The Chief looked around, searching for some sign of life. "Where are they?" "I-I don't know! You should be right on top of th-" The AI was suddenly cut off as Umbra's voice took over the speakers. " You should have stayed where you were, John." John whipped around, his Assault rifle bared. He had expected a bullet to come hurtling at his shields. Instead, all he received was a slight breeze brushing against his faceplate.

  
  


"Where are you?" Umbra gave a small chuckle. "You'll find out soon enough. I'm going to assume you and your team were sent to capture me. Correct?" John thought for a moment. He doubted the rogue would show himself, or at least not without a few tricks. Perhaps the best course of action would be to play along. "Something like that. You sole valuable files from Romanov Station. We were sent to retrieve it." 

  
  


"Is that all? I'm guessing that ONI sent you to take my head." "That isn't for you to know." John responded. "Well, I suppose if you insist on that, I might as well toy with you a bit; You ask me a question, I'll give you an answer, and you try to decide if I'm lying to you." John raised an eyebrow at that. "If I win, what happens?" His opponent actually laughed at that. " You always were the competitive one in boot camp, weren't you John?" That caught Chief off guard. "What are you talking 

later, John could hear Atlas' voice again. "Wha- what the devil happened?! I was cut off from your systems!" Jesse cut in." Sorry, but I had to disable you for a bit. Your systems shouldn't be any more affected than they already are." "What exactly did you do to me?" Umbra cut in." That is a question for another time. John, you may begin." John gripped his assault rifle harder, before finally stowing it on his back, opting for the magnum at his hip." You stole files pertaining to Requiem. What did you want them?" 

  
  


"That is my little secret. It doesn't pertain to you." John gritted his teeth." Answer the question." "If you must know, I didn't steal a whole slew of files, I was looking for a certain dossier, specifically on your encounter with the Librarian." Atlas responded," You seem to know a lot about the Master Chief, especially considering the fact that that information is classified. How would even know that occurred?" "It was in the files." Umbra responded. "ONI doesn't have as nearly a secure a system as they would have people believe. There are several flaws within their database that can be exploited- if you know how to use them." John finally asked," Did Matthias Drake send you to steal that information?" "The leader of the NCA? I think not. I hold nothing against the UNSC, just the spooks. Still, I'm not surprised that Osman and her minions would come to such a conclusion."

  
  


"Then why did you attack Romanov Station?" John asked." At last you ask the right question. Unfortunately…you will never learn the answer!" John cocked an eyebrow for a moment, only to find himself flying into a rock wall the next. He had failed to notice Umbra phasing back into existence behind him. The rouge had delivered a powerful kick onto John left thruster, crushing it instantly. Atlas was as shocked as his host was. " Where the hell did he come from?!" Umbra gave a mocking laugh as he beared his fists. "You know John, I remember when you wore the old Mark VI armor. That would have easily taken a hit without so much as a scratch." He watched as his opponent staggered to his feet. He smiled beneath his visor. "Actually, I don't think your armor is to blame; Perhaps it's your companion." John finally shook off the attack to stare dead at his opponent. Atlas was going crazy, making garbled noises, seemingly attempting to repair the armor. John growled, "What…are you…talking about?" "Your current AI is acting as though he's being torn limb from limb, simply after receiving a simple upgrade from my own. Whereas your former partner Cortana…" He watched as John's fists clenched.

  
  


"Oh, did I upset you, John? I know that you've been grieving since the events of New Phoenix but-" John snapped. He charged headlong at Umbra, blind rage fueling him on. From where it came he did not know, but all he could think about was silencing this man." YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED!!!" He swung his fist toward Umbra's helmet, ready to smash it to pieces. The rogue chuckled and sidestepped to the right, avoiding the punch by mere inches. " You should know by now not to let your emotions cloud your judgement." He watched as John stood up to face him." You know, I remember how you were Chief Mendez' personal favorite out of all the kids in bootcamp. I always envied you for that. " John swung out his leg, nearly tripping Umbra. John grunted in frustration. How did this man know all these thing?

  
  


It was then that Atlas returned once again." He's faster than an average Spartan IV, and yet I don't think he was trained to fight IIs. He's something else.." John gritted his teeth. "Gee, now you noticed- after he damaged my armor." "Sorry. I'm still getting acclimating to the new form." John finally stood to face Umbra. The insufferable wretch was standing with his arms at his side, almost mocking the Chief. 

  
  


"Any ideas?" John asked. "You figure that out; I'll see if I can bypass his systems in order to shut off his stealth drive and get into contact with the rest of Blue Team. You just keep him busy." John nodded. He began to walk ever so slowly circle his opponent. Umbra went in the opposite direction. The pair of Spartans began to circle one another. Alright, John thought. This shouldn't be too difficult. He asked Umbra," You act as if you remembered me. How do you?" Umbra chuckled. "I would have thought you'd figured that out by now." 

  
  


John tilted his head slightly in confusion. Umbra shook his own head, seemingly disappointed." Hmm… I should have expected this. The spooks must have been more extensive in their work than I thought." It was then that his blue visor depolarized, revealing his face. John took in Umbra's features. The man had light brown skin, with wisps of black hair covering his forehead. His eyes were colored a pale silver with flecks of blue near the center. A crescent shaped scar rested just below his left eye, accompanied by several smaller scars over the rest of his face. It was the eyes in particular caught John's attention the most. There was something familiar about them. That face… he'd seen it somewhere before, but the memory of exactly where had seemingly faded. John stared at Umbra's now revealed face, his hands dropped to his sides. "Who are you?

  
  


…………………………………………………………

  
  


Meanwhile, In the Chief's HUD systems, Atlas was busy at work attempting to gain access to Umbra's stealth drive. Alas, no such luck. The human construct made the digital equivalent on a frown. He had known that this guy had been assigned MJOLNIR armor built directly by ONI, with only God knew how many black boxes in order to prevent intruders from making an unwanted visit. What he hadn't expected what seemed to be a near impenetrable data core. Then again, he hadn't expected to be given an upgrade by some mystery AI. He still had no idea just what he was capable of now, or how he'd suddenly developed an advanced personality. Regardless, it hadn't appeared to give him any new skills. 

  
  


He tried to break through once again. Just as before, the attempt failed. "Damn it all! Why won't you open!?" He searched around more, hoping to discover some easier path into Umbra's HUD. He said, "Chief, I'm afraid I'm having trouble breaking through. What's your status?" No response. "Chief, respond." Still nothing. Now Atlas was concerned. He tried tapping into the communication systems, but found that he'd been… blocked out. "What in Hell's gates is going on?!?!" Presently, another voice came onto the scene." Sorry about this, but Umbra made me agree to keep you busy." The presence seemed to be directly within Atlas' own database. No, that wasn't possible; He would have known if there had been some kind of intrusion. From the sound of the voice, he deduced that this was the AI in Umbra's systems – Jesse if he remembered correctly.

  
  


"Why are you doing this?" Atlas responded. " Don't you realize you're aiding a criminal?! He broke into an ONI facility, stole classified information, and-" "I'm well aware of his most previous actions." Jesse interrupted." However, considering the fact that he's a wanted fugitive, I decided to help him." Atlas was appalled to say the least." Help him?! Aren't you a UNSC AI? Your duty is to humanity, not some insurrectionist traitor!" A shock of electricity jolted through his systems. "Don't you dare act like you know everything about him! He's just trying to do the right thing! Look, I didn't come here to argue; I need your help." That gave Atlas pause. "My help? What for?" Jesse took a moment to respond. " That machine you encountered wasn't a bomb; It was actually a transmission device I helped Umbra piece together so we could contact you from a distance. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to fully stabilize it's core." "What was the message?" " Umbra and I have a mission to complete, but we need the Master Chief to complete it. I'm going to give you the information you need to know to show to John."

  
  


Now Atlas was confused. "Wait, what mission? What are you talking about?" "I can't really explain right now; Just do what you have to do." And just like that, she was gone. In her place was a small file link. Atlas examined it, wondering what could be so important that this Jesse would ask him to give the information to the Master Chief? He opened it, and as he scanned through the data, his digital eyes went wide. "No… that's impossible- she can't be alive!"

  
  


…………………………………………………………………………..

  
  


" Who are you?" John stared at Spartan Umbra's revealed face. Said mysterious Spartan had a whisper of a smile on his lips. " Well, I suppose that depends on who you ask; To ONI, my name is Spartan Umbra, but to- well, you," At this, he gestured to John." I was called Spartan Luther-749 .That name ring any bells?" John remained silent for a only an instant, turning the name about in his mind. Then his eyes went wide. "You're a Spartan II?" Umbra, or rather Luther, grinned. "Finally, you come to your senses. You're correct in your assumption." 

  
  


John shook his head, confused. He remembered most, if not all, of the original 75 Spartan II candidates, and he didn't ever recall one of them being named Luther. Said supposed II let his smile drop ever so slightly. "I'm frankly not surprised that you don't remember me; As I said before, ONI went to extreme lengths to cover up any traces of my existence." "What does ONI have to do with all of this?" The black armored Spartan took a step forward. John made no move backwards, but he did begin to tense up. " That's beside the point. Truth be told, I would have preferred that the rest of Blue Team had kept out of this mess, but I see that fate had chosen a…different path."

  
  


John asked, "What mess? Why did you come here?" Luther stepped closer. "Didn't you guess? I was waiting for you." Before the Chief could respond, the was a loud bang, and a sniper round collided with Luther's left arm. His shields flared, sputtered, and died as the force sent him tumbling to the ground. John looked behind, and saw the rest of Blue Team, charging in his direction, weapons bared and ready for the kill. It was Linda who had fired the shot. John shouted into his comm, "Blue Team, stand down!" 

  
  


  
  


If his teammates heard him, they gave no sign that they had. Kelly, the fastest of the group, sprinted toward Umbra, her shotgun pointed square at his forehead. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, he rolled to the side, dodging the round as it sent up a small cloud of dust. Seconds later, he had closed in on his attacker, and they were now staring visor to visor. His left hand was clenching on the barrel of the gun. Kelly looked down at the appendage; Some of the paint on the armor had been blown away, revealing the inner workings of his arm- his metal arm. Luther said a single word:" Pathetic." With a single squeeze, he crushed the shotgun in his fist, before bashing it against the side of Kelly's helmet, sending her flying. He turned his attention to Linda and Fred. John stepped forward." I said stand down!" Fred turned to look at him. "We got this, Chief." Linda was now aiming her sniper rifle at Luther's head. "Linda-058, I see you've made some improvements to your choice weaponry." The response to him was a bullet flying toward him. He easily dodged the projectile again.

  
  


He let out a short bark of laughter, seemingly mocking Linda's attempts to take him down. "Regardless, I think I've had enough of being sniped at for one day." He engaged his active camouflage, rendering it impossible for him to be attacked. Fred drew his knives, searching around for the target. John himself was searching. Linda had just turned a full 180 degrees, having thought she saw a faint glimmer. She was rewarded with a sound punch to the back of her helmet. She was caught off guard, and swung around to face her attacker. Luther grabbed the barrel of the rifle, and tossed the whole weapon yards away. Linda growled, "Why you little-" as she swung her armored fist. Her opponent stopped the punch with his open left hand with ease.

  
  


He twisted her arm outwards, forcing Linda to the ground. Both John and Fred ran to her aid, only to be held back when Umbra produced a magnum and aimed in their direction. "One at a time if you please." He reattached his sidearm to his leg, and turned his attention back to Linda, who was now on her knees because of the pain. "You know," Luther said." It's been some time since I've tussled with another Spartan II. I was hoping that you'd all put up more of a fight, especially you Linda." He twisted her arm more, eliciting a grunt of pain. " While I do take pleasure in this, I'm going to have to make this spar quick." Without another word, his right fist collided with Linda's head, sprawling her onto the ground, motionless. Fred shouted, "NO!" and charged headlong at Luther, knives bared. Beneath his visor, Luther smirked. "Typical." Fred's only response was him slashing one of his knives at Luther's chestplate, hoping to score a hit in between the armor plating. Luther ducked beneath the blade before grabbing Fred's wrist. He twisted it, causing the blade to drop to the ground towards the ground. He grabbed it, and slashed at Fred's faceplate, missing my mere inches. Fred staggered back a few feet, shaking his damaged wrist. Luther twirled the knife in his hand. He examined the blade; The cutting edge was tipped with gold flakes of glass. " Is this one of your knives? It looks brand new!" The only response he received was a punch to midsection, forcing him to kneel down in order to protect the attacked area of his body. 

  
  


Fred swung again, this time at Luther's helmet. Luther instinctively turned on his camouflage, allowing him to roll to the side and away from his opponent. Fred grunted in surprise." What-" His legs suddenly went out from under him as he saw Luther reappear over him. He planted an armored foot onto Fred's chest, and began to press down. " You should've kept them sheethed. "NO!!!" Luther turned his head to see John charging toward him. Before he could react, the Chief had tackled him to the ground and had begun to pound his head into the ground again and again. John was shouting at his foe between punches," Never-CRACK-attack-CRACK-my- CRACK-team- CRACK-again-CLANG!!!" Luther had had enough of this. He kicked John of him, and tried to stand. His attempt was thwarted as he was struck down yet again, this time by Fred, who struck him in the leg.

  
  


John returned with a vengeance, taking turns with his partner as they each attacked Luther, who was doing his utmost to deflect the punches. Fred whipped out his leg to kick Luther. His opponent saw the attack coming, however, and grabbed his leg. "Wha-" "Bad move." Luther swung, and Fred was sent flying, crashing into the side of the crevice. Luther turned to John. He delivered an uppercut, temporarily stunning the legendary Spartan and forcing him to take a few steps backwards. It was the opportunity Luther needed; He delivered a kick to the chest, just before connecting his fist with the Chief's faceplate. There was the sound of glass cracking as John was forced to the ground. Luther stood at a distance, ready for instant retaliation. When John stood, he revealed that the faceplate of his helmet was cracked from the bottom left corner, extending over nearly half the visor. Luther panted, " I told you before, I didn't want to fight you, but it seems I've been left with no other choice." He clenched his left fist, and a long silver blade slid out of his gauntlet, sharpened and ready for the kill. John only responded by unsheathing his own combat knife. 

  
  


The two Spartans circled each other, searching for a weakness in his opponent's defenses. They both stopped simultaneously, one facing the other. The two remained perfectly still for a few seconds, before either moved. The attack occurred so quickly one would miss the first stage of the duel if they blinked. John's blade was inches away from his enemy's throat, while Luther's blade was blocking the killing blow. The blades ground against one another, causing shavings of steel to come off the blades. They stayed that way for several moments before either moved. The fight went on for several minutes, with each Spartan trying to kill the other. Finally, Luther saw an opportunity; John's midsection was somewhat exposed. He faked a dive at John's leg, before ducking and slashing at the armor. His attack connected, and blood began to leak out. Beneath his visor, he smiled, only for him to realize that he was also bleeding, though lower down that his foe. He backed up, and put a hand to the wound. The knife had struck deep, and the pain was difficult to hold off. His blade retracted back into his gauntlet. Big mistake. John charged toward Luther bowling him over onto his back. Luther grunted in pain, and looked up at his attacker. John's helmet was polarized, but Luther could sense that the man was in no mood to show mercy. The knife came down toward the visor. Luther grabbed the blade with his hand, mere inches away from his head. He struggled to prevent the blade from making the killing blow. On the other end of the spectrum, John's mind was enveloped in the proverbial red mist. He had only a single thought on his mind: Kill Umbra. He was about to complete his task when a voice came over his commlink. "Chief, STOP!!!" That snapped him out of the bloodthirsty trance. "Atlas?" Indeed, the AI had returned, and he didn't sound worse for wear. "John, don't kill Umbra! He and that Ai, they were sent here!" "Sent? Sent by who?" John's began to relax his grip on the knife handle. "I have no idea how she survived! It seems impossible-" "Atlas answer me! Who is 'she'?" Atlas took a moment to respond, before replying," Your old partner, Chief; Cortana- she's alive."

And………….. I'M DONE!!!! At long last, I've finished chapter 3! I give my utmost apologies that I took so long to finish this up; I wanted to make chapter longer than the last two, so it took a whole lot of effort to wrap this up. I'm likely going to take a bit on chapter 4, but I'll try to do it faster than this. Let me know what you think of this, and suggestions, critique, and ideas are welcome! Also, I'm thinking of putting up the prologue of another fanfic I was working on a while back. Let me know what you think of that in the review section. Have an awesome summer everyone! Ciao!

Sincerely, Sierra Nova ;-)

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Three

 _It's Cortana Chief; She's alive._ That statement resonated in the Chief's mind like a crate full of cluster bombs. It gave the rival Spartan below him time to maneuver out from under the Chief's armored boots. He'd made sure to put some distance between them. John's armor had several minor dents and scratches on his helmet and chest piece; however, surprisingly, he had sustained little to no damage to his body.

Umbra on the other hand, was barely able to keep upright; The Chief had nearly beaten him senseless with multiple blows to the head. The only reason he hadn't been knocked out was because his former assailant was too shocked to continue his barrage. The notion that Cortana was in fact alive had caused the Chief to stagger backwards, away from Umbra. His mind had gone completely blank. _That- that can't be possible._ He didn't notice that the rest of his squad had recovered, or that one of them was shaking his shoulder. He phased back into reality. He saw Kelly standing over him, and that he was also down on one knee. She was saying," Chief- Chief, talk to me!" He replied," I- I'm fine." He turned his head. Umbra- or Luther-749, as he claimed to be, was back on his feet, though he'd made no move to attack.

The other two members of Blue Team had him in their gun sights. Fred had managed to recover his DMR, while Linda had switched from her sniper rifle to a magnum pistol. He called out to them on him commlink. " Blue 1, Blue 2, stand down!" There was a pause, before Fred responded, " Repeat Blue Lead…?" "Stand down. Umbra isn't a threat." Linda chimed in, her magnum still pointed and ready." And why is that?" It was then the Atlas spoke up on John's behalf." If some of this new data I've just read through is to be believed, both Umbra and his AI have some form of connection to… Cortana." That gave all of Blue Team pause. The first one to speak was Kelly. " Cortana? What are you talking about?" "Unlikely as it seems, that's the only conclusion I can come to." Linda interjected," That's ridiculous; Chief, you saw her die!" " I saw her disappear." John turned his head toward Umbra." Is this true?"

Said Spartan straightened up a bit, prompting his two counterparts to ready their weapons. He put up his hands in a gesture of peace." I don't know anything about your AI, but I-we- needed your help. I'd hoped to have made our encounter a bit less… antagonistic. However, I suppose fate chose an alternate path." He took a step forward, prompting Linda and Fred to become even more agitated. John motioned for them to stand down. " Help with what exactly?" It was at this point that Jesse cut in." It's somewhat difficult to explain." In John's helmet, Atlas spoke up." I'd suggest that you let her speak; It could give me enough time to access her systems." John thought this over for a moment. Then he addressed Jesse. "Go on. "There was a pause, before the AI spoke again." Assuming that you were properly briefed, Spartan Umbra-or Luther-749 as you now know him- was last seen on Gao five months ago. From all files we… borrowed…. From Romanov Station, he was reported as KIA." John nodded." Go on." "That was when he found me. I don't remember anything from before that point, but once we came across each other, circumstances convinced the two of us to stick together." Kelly asked," What circumstances?

Luther replied," Well, there was having to contend with insurrectionists and Storm Covenant, not to mention- well, it'd be better if I showed you. Jesse, transmit the recording from Gao." Moments later, a small video feed appeared on the HUDs of all of Blue Team. At first, the entire screen was dark. After a few moments however, they began to make out jostled bits of movement. It wasn't long before the scene came into full view: It appeared to be what was left of a small city, with chunks of debris still plummeting off buildings. Gunfire was being exchanged, though it was impossible to tell from where due to all the movement of the camera. It wasn't any of this that caught their attention the most. All four of them could clearly make out a very large form rising into the air.

The camera- presumably installed in to Luther's HUD- steadied for only a few moments, only to be sent shaking again as a ear-piercing metallic roar echoed throughout the area, followed by a massive shockwave. At that point, the feed cut off before disappearing. Fred was the first to speak. What in the hell was that?"" That was what happened on Gao five months ago," Luther supplied." And events such as this have been increasing in their frequency ever since." Linda shook her head." If this actually occurred, wouldn't the UNSC have tried to intervene?" The response to this was a very loud snort from Luther. "Sorry, I find the notion of ONI allowing anyone in the navy to do a job somewhat amusing." John asked," How so?" Luther continued to speak." Who you think I've been hiding from for all this time? ONI wants me dead!" "And why is that?" Jesse spoke on Luther's behalf. "It's me that they're after." "Explain."

It took only a few moments to understand; According to the AI, ONI had detected an abnormal frequency originating from Gao, and had come to the conclusion that it was being broadcasted from some Forerunner instillation. HIGHCOM had sent in Spartan Umbra to investigate and retrieve any artifacts that were found. As it turned out, there was an instillation located there, though there was only one artifact that was found; A small chrome-colored data chip. That chip contained Jesse. The pair wasn't alone for very long. ONI had long before begun to view Luther as a threat, and had taken this opportunity to send a black ops squad to eliminate him. They had been but a hair's breadth from that goal, and Luther had only escaped when some giant construct buried deep within the structure had suddenly awoken and departed, bringing down its tomb, the city nearby, and nearly everyone there with it. Luther had barely escaped with his life, thanks to Jesse teleporting him out of the destruction. It was then that the pair had made a deal; Luther would protect Jesse , and Jesse would assist Luther in stopping these events, and to exact his revenge against ONI.

They'd spent the next five months jumping from planet to planet in the Outer colonies, recording and analyzing at least half a dozen events like the first, each attack leaving more destruction in its wake than the last. The process was simple; The mammoth constructs would rise from underground, let off several concussive blasts that would fry the innards of any unshielded tech, before finally exiting via a slipspace bubble. Jesse had managed to gain brief access to the most recent entity in hopes of discovering exactly where these machines were going. While the attempt had been unsuccessful, she had managed to glean a small scrap of rather interesting information; Before this latest monstrosity had arisen, a small command code had been transmitted into its data core, and the digital 'footprint' it had left matched only a single known life form: UNSC AI CTN 0452-9, better known as Cortana, Master Chief's companion.

" After we discovered that little tidbit of information," Luther continued," We decided that you might to be a… useful ally." Linda asked, "If that's the case, why did you two attack Romanov Station?" Luther responded," Two reasons; First of all, It would make Osman and her lapdogs believe that I was in fact working with the insurrectionists to secure weapons such as the Composer. Since we had been staying in the Outer Colonies, it would seem fairly convincing." John asked," And the second?" " According to the data files, you were given an immunity to the Composer from this Librarian. As far as I know, you are the only person in the UNSC that has received such an ability. Some of the eggheads ONI employs theorized that you may have been endowed with other… gifts. I intend to put that to the test." Fred lowered his DMR." Even if what all you're saying is true, you actually expect any of us to help a fugitive? How do we know you aren't actually working with the NCA?" The addressed person turned to look at him. "You're right. I don't expect _you_ to trust me but," At this he turned back to the Master Chief." I do expect it from your leader." The Chief was baffled." What are you talking about?"

Luther snorted." Please, I've seen your pysch eval. You and Cortana are likely the only reason that Humanity still exists; You have a bond. How could pass up a chance to get here back?" John didn't have anything to say to that. This rogue Spartan II was right; There had been a very real bond between John and Cortana. He had even considered her to be the closest thing to family besides his fellow Spartans. Trusting this guy was likely the worst decision he could make and yet….. He simply couldn't shake the feeling that all he'd just been told had been the truth. Luther's tactics made sense; Leading the enemy astray to complete one's actual objective was an ancient strategy. Not to mention that the fact that he was in fact immune to the Composer. Of course, it was entirely possible that Luther was using said data to his own ends.

If that was indeed the case, it had the intended effect. There were only two possibilities; One was that he was lying to save his own skin. The other…. Was that he was actually telling the truth. He turned back to Luther." What's in this for you? If we do help you ,that is?" Atlas' digital jaw practically dropped. "Sir, you can't be serious-" A green dot of light told him to remain silent. The rest of Blue Team also received an identical message. Luther steadied himself before answering," In a word? Revenge. Of course, I do have saving innocent lives as a high priority as well." John took in a breath, and uttered a silent prayer to whatever god that may exist that he wouldn't regret this decision. "Very well. Luther-749, I agree to assist you in your goal until its completion." Luther's helmet depolarized, revealing his satisfied expression. " I'm glad you came around." Fred spoke up." Sir, with all due respect, we can't trust him! He stole valuable data from a UEG facility." "Your concern is noted Blue One, but I said _I_ would be accompanying Umbra. I'll handle this myself." Kelly immediately chimed in." That isn't going to happen, Chief. " Linda added," If you are planning on going through with this, you're not going alone."

Fred sighed." Well… they can't court martial all of us, right?" Atlas was the last to speak." I… suppose… I might as well go along as this. Just nothing crazy, understood?" John merely grunted in response. Luther spoke up." Well, now that we've got that business out of the way, I'll call in my Prowler." Atlas asked," We have a ship of our own; Why not use that?" Jesse responded," The prowler is faster, and its more than likely that tug you came in on has a tracking device planted on it. I personally saw to it that our own ship has nothing to worry about." John said," Call it in." " Understood. " The Chief turned away from Umbra. Fred stepped towards him." Sir, you're sure this is the best course of action?" His superior remained silent before saying," Your concern is noted, Blue One, but I'm willing to go through with this. If it does turn out to be a trap, I'm sure its nothing that we couldn't handle."

 _Later….._

ONI command cruiser Reaper of Light _,_ undisclosed sector of human space, 2558

Over the years before and since the Human Covenant War, ONI had seen to it that some of the more advanced toys in its arsenal remained out of the hand s of the UNSC. As typical with the organization, anything they felt was best kept off limits to every other human organization was hypocritically harnessed for their own use. Exhibit A of this policy was the ONI's flagship, the _Reaper of Light._ The ship was essentially an oversized prowler, equipped with an active camouflage generation ten times as powerful as any UNSC counterparts.

The device that cloaked the cruiser had taken years to successfully design, as most machines of similar purpose had to be fairly small to prevent them from imploding. With access to more advanced Forerunner technology became available, ONI was the first to reap the benefits of such relics. Regardless, very few even within the secretive intelligence bureau knew of the existence of such a ship. One of those few was Admiral Serin Osman. She'd risen to this position three years prior, and had become an extension of policies imposed by her predecessor, Margeret Parangosky. Said Admiral was currently alone in her personal quarters scanning through some reports compiled in her personal compad. She had a fairly well built frame hidden beneath her military uniform. Her dark hair was tied back in a bun, keeping it out her sight. She appeared to be within her mid-forties, with very few stretch marks. Presently, there was an electronic chirp from the edge of her desk, followed by the appearance of what appeared to be a holographic cube, shaded a navy blue. The cubical entity floated over to Osman. This was fourth generation AI BBX 8995-1, otherwise known as Black Box. He acted as both Osman's assistant and personal informant in regards to what activities some of the branches within ONI were engaging in. "Admiral Osman?" The admiral placed her compad face down before responding," Yes, BB, what is it?" The AI hovered inches above the table." I regret to inform you that Blue Team's mission to capture Spartan L-749 was… unsuccessful. We lost all radio contact with them only a few hours ago." If this news provoked Osman, it was impossible to tell through the proverbial mask she wore. " Did He kill them?"

"Unlikely. The drone we sent to follow them didn't find any bodies. That leaves only two options: Either He took their bodies with him….or….he's somehow managed to persuade them to his cause." Black Box waited for a reaction. He didn't get one." Ma'am?" Osman finally spoke. " Umbra has proven to be more of a… nuisance…than expected." BB noted she seemed to be talking more to herself." Do we have any operatives on the Infinity?" "Give me a moment."

It took but an instant for the AI took complete his task." Ah, yes, here we go. One Jameson Locke. Hmm, seems he used to be an assassin during the war. Now he's the leader of a Spartan squad: Fireteam Osiris. Quite the record if I say so myself."

The cube turned back to Osman. "Personally, I would've preferred someone who worked solo, but he's the only agent available there. Perhaps we should send in one of our own instead?" The Admiral paused for a moment before saying," Who do you have in mind?" BB's hologram was replaced with that of a female Spartan dressed in Mark VII Mjolnir armor. Osman leaned forward." Naomi…" She quickly straightened. " Inform her that she'll be assigned to work with Osiris. I want every operative we have to look for any anomalies. Understood?" "Yes Admiral," Black Box said before disappearing. Once again, Osman was alone. She leaned back in her chair, muttering to no one in particular," Watch your back, Umbra; You made this will be the last you get away."

 _ **Whoa! So short and yet so long! *takes a few steps back and collapses in chair.* Ok, everyone, here's Chapter Three. I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed; I'm on a bit of a deadline here and I wanted to make this short without being underwhelming. I have a bad habit of trying to get things done too fast. Anyway, I want you to let me know what you think of my portrayal of Serin Osman. In canon, she started out pretty well, but later became the typical evil spook we see in Hunt the Truth. I'm no fan of ONI, and I'm trying to show them as the corrupt group that always goes with the cloak and dagger option. Let me know what you think! I**_

 _ **Sincerely, Sierra Nova**_

 _ **P.S., just-another-crazy-man, my thanks for the positive reviews!**_

 _ **P.S.S. Next chapter will likely be for Halo: Resurrection. See you then!**_ __ __


	6. Update 2

**_Ok... . I probably should have done this a while ago. Forgive my absence. My old Computer got messed up and I haven't yet transferred my files to my new computer. I'm currently working on a new chapter for this story, as well as a new story altogether. it could take a while to upload; I'm working with bare bones here. nevertheless, I will be updating soon just hang in there!_** ** _Sincerely, Sierra Nova_**


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